Nov 15, 2012

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Ganache Tart in a Chewy Oat (HobNobs) Crust















My oven died this week.  Like total shut-down.  It's something electrical in the wiring, nothing to do with the oven so you know that will take FOREVER to fix, especially here in Dubai.  I called the husband in a state of panic, you know one of those phone calls where as soon as you hear them pick up on the other line you say (without even waiting for them to say hello) 'you-must-come-home-the-oven-is-broken-no-wait-maybe-it's-just-better-if-we-move!!!'  I got a prompt 'we'll get it fixed over the weekend, goodbye' answer.  Ok probably deserved that, but the only way I could get my husband to understand the magnitude of this situation so he'll can call the fix-it guy (who doesn't understand my white-girl English, apparently I talk way over his speed limit) and get my 'office' up and running again is to put it into man-terms. 

Me: 'Honey, would you be able to breathe without your blackberry for even an hour?' 

Husband: Impatiently looks at me with the phone already stuck in his ear

Me: 'Because you see the oven is my equivalent to your blackberry.  I cannot function or think properly when it's busted.'

Husband: 'Hello, Jaber? (on the phone calling Mr Fix-It aka Jaber)  This is Jad, can you please come over tomorrow and take a look at our oven?'

Man-terms, ladies.

So rather than waiting for Jaber to come God knows when, the show must go on.  So here you go, a 'no-bake' tart that is spectacular, no heat required. 

There are loads of contrasting textures going on here, which always makes for a happy pallet.  The crust is soft and chewy, just like an oatmeal cookie.  The peanut butter filling is sweet and creamy, however don't let the photo deceive you, it firms up and cuts quite nicely once left in the fridge over night.  A sprinkling of the salty peanuts on top of the lightly-sweetened whipped cream adds a welcoming crunch amongst all the heavenly pillows of flavor.  A winner for any picky pallet.  Heck, I bet Jaber would even appreciate it...assuming he ever shows up.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Ganache Tart in a Chewy Oat (HobNobs) Crust
makes a 9" round tart or a 13 3/4-by-4 1/4-inch tart
printable version

Ingredients

For the Crust:
6 1/2 ounces HobNob biscuits (or 12 whole graham crackers), finely ground, about 1 1/2 cups
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
 
For the Filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 ounces good-quality milk chocolate (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup  (4 ounces) cream cheese
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar
 
salted peanuts, chopped, for garnish
 
Directions
 
Place biscuits (or graham crackers), sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until fine crumbs are formed. 
 

 
Transfer to a medium bowl, and add melted butter. Stir with a fork until thoroughly combined.

 

Place crumbs in a 13 3/4-by-4 1/4-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom (I only had a 9-inch round which also worked fine).


Press crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place in the refrigerator while making the filling.
 
 
Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Finely chop chocolate, and place in a medium bowl. Place 1/2 cup cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Pour over chopped chocolate, and set aside for 5 minutes to yield chocolate ganache.
 
 
Whisk to combine.
 
 
Set in ice bath until ganache is cool, whisking constantly.  Once cool, remove from ice bath, and whisk until ganache is just thick enough to hold its shape; do not over beat. Spread in the bottom of the prepared crust, and return to the refrigerator until set.
 
Combine peanut butter, cream cheese, and sweetened condensed milk in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
 
 
Whip 3/4 cup heavy cream to soft peaks.  Add whipped cream to peanut butter mixture; whisk to combine.
 
 
Spoon mixture into prepared crust; return to the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Remove tart from refrigerator, and transfer to a serving platter 10 minutes before serving. Whip remaining 1/2 cup cream.  Add the vanilla and sugar, whip to combine. 
 
 
Top tart with dollops of whipped cream and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.
 
 
Enjoy!
 
Crust recipe and Filling Recipe slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

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